Choose Your Own Path
by AceFireheart
Summary: Three rogues have lived in Twolegplace since they were born. Their father suddenly has a plan to overthrow the Clan cats. As part of the plan, two of the siblings are sent to join ThunderClan. In the end will they still want to be apart of this evil plot?
1. Allegiances

**A/N: **Ok, this is my first story I have put up on FanFiction so I hope you all enjoy this. So you're aware, the chapters will be in the point of view of all three siblings, like the Warriors second and third series. Just letting you know so you don't get confused, even though you guys are smart enough to figure it out on your own, hopefully.

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**Allegiances**

T H U N D E R C L A N

**Leader** **Thornstar**- a sleek black she-cat with golden eyes

**Deputy Lionclaw-** a long-haired ginger tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Pinepaw**

**Medicine Cat** **Rowantail**- small tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentice, Moonpaw**

**Warriors (toms, and she-cats without kits)**

**Dustfur**- light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, Amberpaw**

**Rainpool**- light gray she-cat

**Whitefoot**- black she-cat with white paws

**Apprentice, Shadepaw**

**Blackstripe**- pale tabby tom with black stripes

**Cloudfoot**- a long-haired brown tom with white paws and

black stripes on his back

**Apprentice, Patchpaw**

**Sandheart**- pale ginger she-cat

**Talonclaw**- large muscled dark brown tabby with

with piercing green eyes

**Apprentice, Shellpaw **

**Graystorm**- gray tom with blue eyes

**Apprentices (more then six moons old, in training to become ****warriors)**

**Amberpaw**- pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes

**Moonpaw-** light gray tom with white fur on the bottom

part of his muzzle and upper chest; yellow eyes

**Shadepaw-** dark gray tom with light blue eyes

**Pinepaw- **dark brown tabby with green eyes

**Shellpaw- **sleek tortoiseshell she-cat with greens eyes

**Patchpaw- **white tom with black patches of fur over his

body and blue eyes

**Queens** **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)**

**Goldenfeather**- golden she-cat with blue eyes

**Flowercloud**- brown tabby she-cat with a

white underbelly; green eyes

**Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)**

**Mistyeye**- blueish gray she-cat with one blind eye

**Gingerpelt- **a ginger she-cat; oldest in ThunderClan

S H A D O W C L A N

**Leader Fangstar- **large brown tom with ice-blue eyes

**Deputy Stormglider-** a big black tom

**Medicine Cat Redwing- **a dark ginger tom

W I N D C L A N

**Leader Russetstar- **ginger tom with green eyes

**Deputy ****Willowtail- **light gray she-cat

**Medicine Cat** **Blackcloud-** black she-cat

R I V E R C L A N

**Leader Volestar-** silvery gray tom with amber eyes

**Deputy Reedstream- **light brown tom

**Medicine Cat** **Bluewhisker- **blueish gray she-cat

K I T T Y P E T S

**Gypsy- **brown tabby she-cat with white paws

**Jack- **large black and white tom

**Kiki- **young white she-cat

R O G U E S

**Bear- **large calico tom with golden eyes

**Scar- **dark brown, almost black, tom with green eyes

**Tails- **long-haired gray tom

**Sky- **white she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Claw-** dark ginger tom

**Sprint- **tortoiseshell she-cat

**Yowler- **dark gray tabby she-cat

**Shadow- **black tom


	2. Unsuccessful

**Chapter 1**

Unsuccessful

The strong scent of rat filled the young cat's nostrils, overtaking all of her senses. It smelled so mouthwatering and delicious that she didn't think when she quickly sprang from her hiding place behind a poor looking bush and charged at the surprised rodent. Unfortunately as she got closer, the rat darted toward a small hole in one of the fences that surrounded an upwalker nest. The she-cat skidded to a halt and hissed at herself as the rat disappeared into the darkness. A small chuckle could be heard from behind her. She turned to stare at the one who had been watching.

"Wonderful skills you have there, Shell." The taunting, sarcastic, slightly muffled, meow came from a young dark brown tom that happened to have a bird clamped in his jaws. His green eyes were narrowed and mocking, which made the she-cat's pelt prickle with annoyance. Shell usually ignored her brother, Scar, so that's just what she did.

"Shell!" A loud yowl suddenly came from around the corner of the fence as a dark gray tabby came into view. When the she-cat padded up to the two cats and saw no prey near the young tortoiseshell a hiss escaped her throat. "I see you didn't manage to catch anything, as usual." Her voice was irritated and disappointed at the same time.

Shell's eyes narrowed and her ears flattened against her head. "I almost caught a rat!" she protested, her tail lashing at the ground.

"Look, Yowler! I _caught_ this bird." The brown tom emphasized the word 'caught' as he set his prey in front of the older cat. Yowler's face filled with pride as she looked at Scar. "Well done," she purred.

Shell glared at her brother and snapped, "Well at least I was never stupid enough to go running into a thorn bush like a blind rabbit!" She always reminded him of this when Scar got on her nerves, which was quite often. She was referring to the time when her, Scar, and Patch, her other brother, were kits. They had wandered off, wanting to explore a small portion of the forest, and Scar had gone running straight into a large thorn bush. Now he bared a long scar across his chest, from his right shoulder blade down to the top of his left leg.

Scar's ears flattened and he let out a menacing hiss. Shell ignored him once again and began to trot back towards the alleyway, or in other words, home.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 2**

Home Sweet Home

_The others won't be happy when I come back without food, _Shell thought as she hesitantly padded up to a large wooden fence. On each side of the fence sat an upwalker nest. In the one to her right there lived no upwalkers. It had been abandoned a few moons ago, left with only a tall, weird-looking, wooden stick in the middle of the yard. In the one to the left lived an old upwalker who hardly ever left its nest, along with a small yappy dog. On each side of those nests there were many more that sat along the Thunderpath. She and the others were rarely bothered by upwalkers, yet sometimes the dog got loose and tried to get inside the small alleyway where they lived. Behind the alleyway there was another Thunderpath, another row of upwalker nests and then finally, the forest.

She and the others never ventured too far from the alleyway and, if they did, it was only to look for food or water. Shell leapt up on to a metal tin, one that upwalkers put things in that they didn't use, then hopped up on to the fence. She peered down into the alleyway. It was nothing special but it was home. There were three metal tins up against the fence and two more against the upwalker nest to Shell's left. In the far left corner of the alleyway there was a small puddle of water, the cat's water supply, which dripped off the upwalkers nest when it rained. Luckily the water didn't dry up easily because the alleyway was mostly always blanketed with shade from the upwalker nests.

In the far right corner of the alleyway there were a few over-turned boxes that all the cats slept in when they felt like it. Most of the time they just slept at random places throughout the small alleyway, but when it rained or when it was cold they would all curl up inside the multiple boxes. Scattered about the alleyway were pieces of upwalker rubbish. Shell noticed that one of the metal tins was turned on its side and the big black thing inside it was ripped open, most likely the actions of her fellow cats.

There were also bones of various small animals lying about. Shell had to admit that they were all a bit sloppy, but who cares? No one else came into the alleyway except them. Well, on occasion a stray cat would wander in, probably because of the smell of fresh kill, but they were quickly chased out.

Shell turned her head to see Yowler and Scar heading home as well so she gracefully leapt off the fence and landed gently on the ground, looking around to see who was already there.


	4. Meet the Family

**Chapter 3**

Meet the Family

The first cat Shell noticed was her father, Bear. He was hard to miss so that's probably why Shell noticed him first. Bear is a big calico tom with piercing golden eyes. Anyone could see why he was basically the 'leader' of the rogues, or at least they seemed to look up to him a lot. He has large muscled legs and broad shoulders, giving him that kind of look that told others they shouldn't mess with him. Also, his pelt was thick so it seemed to make him even bigger than he really was. Everyone seemed to know how he got his name.

Shell then turned her gaze to the cat that Bear was talking to. It was Tails, a long-haired light gray tom. His name was Tails because his fur was the thickest around his tail so sometimes it looked like he had two of them. He was almost as big as her father and also the first one to come across her father, her and her two brothers. But that was many moons ago.

Her green eyes flickered to the area around the puddle where two she-cats were grooming each other. One of the she-cats was tortoiseshell, like Shell. That was Sprint. Out of all the cats that lived in the alleyway, Sprint was the fastest. The other she-cat was smaller and pure white with bright blue eyes. That was Sky. She was probably the most gentle of all the rogues.

In the middle of the alleyway two toms were wrestling. To some it wouldn't look like they were 'play' fighting because of the fierce looks on their faces, but Shell knew better. There was a dark ginger tom and a black tom. The dark ginger one was known as Claw. Out of all the cats Shell had ever seen, she hasn't seen any with claws as long as that tom had. The black cat was Shadow. He was a bit more mysterious and hasn't shared much about himself. He's the most recent to join the small group of rogues.

Shell's eyes then wandered over to the multiple boxes that were overturned. There was a small white tom with many black patches of fur on his pelt sitting in one of the boxes, his blue eyes staring at Claw and Shadow as he watched them wrestle. It was Patch, her other brother. Unlike herself and Scar, he didn't show his emotions much. Sometimes it seemed like he didn't even have any. He was pretty quiet and rarely talked to anyone except Shell. When they were all really tiny, Bear had thought something was wrong with the kit but Patch has proved to be an excellent fighter and hunter.

The young she-cat's eyes turned back to the fence to see Yowler and Scar jumping down from it, landing close by. Scar glared at her then padded towards Bear to show how well he had done, for he was also carrying a rat along with the bird he had earlier. Yowler totally ignored Shell and wandered over to sit with the other she-cats. Shell sighed and her ears flattened slightly. Sometimes she thought she wasn't good enough to be with the rest of them because she was clumsy most of the time and wasn't the best hunter. The young rogue slowly walked toward Patch, her tail drooping slightly.


	5. The Plan

**Chapter 4**

The Plan

"Good catch, Scar, but next time try to get more than just two," Bear said quickly. "Go and share with your siblings," the large tom added, then turned and continued talking to Tails.

Scar nodded, his tail twitching with pride. His father hardly ever gave out compliments, so even though it was a small one, it still meant something to the young brown tom.

Scar picked up the rat and bird in his jaws then trotted towards where Patch and Shell were sitting. He dodged Claw and Shadow, who happened to be wrestling, and padded up to his brother and sister. The tom set down his prey but pulled the rat to the side, saving it for himself. He roughly nosed the bird towards them.

"Here, you two can share this one," he meowed.

Scar settled down, tore a large chunk of the rat off, and began to eat.

"Why do we have to share while you get a whole piece to yourself?" Shell growled.

Scar's tail twitched with amusement as he saw his sister's eyes narrow in annoyance. He swallowed and replied, "Isn't it obvious? I'm the one who caught it so I deserve a whole piece. Besides, Bear complimented me on my hunting skills."

The brown tom watched as Shell's eyes widened slightly. "H-He did?" she mumbled, her voice suddenly going quiet.

"Yup," Scar said with a sneer on his face.

He took another bite of the rat, though out of the corner of his eye he looked at Patch. His brother seemed unmoved by his little announcement. The black and white tom was just sitting there, chewing on a bit of bird. This annoyed Scar. Whenever he did something everyone else was proud of, Patch never seemed to notice. Sure, Patch was good at fighting and hunting, probably even a bit better then Scar, but shouldn't he still compliment him? They were brothers after all. Could he possibly be jealous that Patch was better than him? No. But after thinking about it for a moment, ever since the others started noticing how talented Patch was, that was when Scar had started working harder than ever to prove that he was just as good.

Also, for some strange reason, Patch was, and always has been, closer to Shell than to any other cat. Could it be that Scar was also actually jealous that Shell had a better relationship with their brother? No, never. Why should he be jealous of his siblings, other than the reasons he had just thought of that is. Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he went back to eating his meal.

Scar woke to a sharp nudge in the side. He grunted sleepily and blinked open his eyes, wondering who it was that had disturbed him. He made out a tortoiseshell pelt. Shell.

Before he could say anything Shell muttered, "Father has called a meeting."

The rogue lazily got to his paws and stretched, also letting out a large yawn. He then realized that it was dark out and guessed that he must have dozed off after his meal. The moon was only about half way full but its light still glowed down on the alleyway. Scar padded toward the center of the alleyway where all the other rogues were already settled. He seated himself near the back and looked to the front of the group where his father stood.

"Most of us have lived our lives here, surrounded by upwalkers, with little food and little shelter," Bear began, his deep voice ringing out and echoing off the walls of the upwalker nests. "Sure, this small alleyway is a decent place to live, but it is not quite suitable. Look at us! We are all half starved for little prey runs through here. We need a home that has plenty of food for all of us!" All the cats murmured their agreement.

"Many of you have heard about the Clans of cats that live in the forest and surrounding areas. You may or may not know that they chase out any cat that is not of their Clan, including us rogues. Is this fair? Should we not be able to roam the forest freely? To them we are lesser beings! Are we not all cats? These Clans should be taught a lesson! We should be allowed to wander wherever we please! Not stay in this pathetic excuse of a home! Why should we suffer and starve while they stuff their faces with the tons of prey that live in the forest?" Scar listened intently to his father's powerful words with his ears pricked up and his tail twitching.

"But do not worry for I have a plan. If successful, a plan that will allow us to be able to roam the land freely without worrying about these _Clans_." Bear spat the last word out as if it had left a bad taste on his tongue.

"The first stage of this plan shall involve two of my own kin." The large calico beckoned Shell and Patch to come forward. Scar couldn't help letting his mouth fall open slightly as his siblings made their way towards Bear. What could their father possibly want them to do?

Bear continued, "Shell and Patch, your role in this plan is crucial. You are to join one of the Clans. Specifically the one that lives in the forest, for it is closer to here and we shall be able to communicate better."

Scar watched Shell's expression turn from curiosity to excitement. Patch remained expressionless and only nodded his head curtly in understanding.

Bear turned back to the group of rogues. "These two shall be our eyes and ears in the Clan. They will report back to us whenever they can and tell us all we need to know about these Clans." Yowls of agreement rose from the rogues.

"Alright then, it is settled. Patch and Shell will go into the forest first thing in the morning. Now I suggest we all get some rest," Bear finished with a swish of his tail.

The rogues began to disperse until Bear and Scar were the only ones left in the center of the alleyway. Scar hesitantly made his way over to Bear. "Father, can I ask you something?" he questioned, not looking into his father's eyes.

Bear looked down at his son and nodded.

"I was just wondering…why was I not chosen to go with Shell and Patch?" Scar finally met Bear's golden gaze. He was a bit surprised to find a touch of softness in them.

"Because Scar, I need you here to help my plan carry on." The large tom rested his tail tip on Scar's shoulder for a moment. "Now get some sleep."

The young rogue dipped his head and watched as his father padded over to Tails. Scar was glad to know that his father thought he was important, or at least that's what he thought he had said. But even that could not stop the jealously for his siblings from gnawing away at him.


	6. Into the Forest

**Chapter 5**

Into the Forest

Shell paced restlessly in front of the box where Patch and Scar lay sleeping. She had woken up a while ago and was too excited to continue sleeping, so she has been pacing for quite some time. Her father was already up and had given her a few details as to what they were to do when in the forest. He, Tails, and Claw were talking nearby, but too far away for Shell to hear what they were murmuring about. Sky, Sprint, and Yowler were curled up in one of the other boxes, still fast asleep. She didn't spot Shadow anywhere so she figured he was out hunting or something.

The young she-cat's ears pricked up as she suddenly heard movement from behind her. She quickly turned to see that Patch and Scar had woken and were stretching, trying to get themselves more awake. Shell padded over to Patch as the black and white tom finished his stretches and touched noses with him. She purred and stood back.

"Ready?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he mumbled sleepily while stifling a yawn.

Shell turned to Scar but saw that he was just staring at them. She thought she saw a tiny hint of jealously in his gaze, but before she could be sure her brother stood and padded over to their father. Although still curious, Shell pushed her thoughts about Scar to the back of her mind and turned back to Patch.

"I suppose we should go tell father we're up and ready," she mewed.

Patch only nodded then began walking over to their father.

Shell quickly scampered after her brother, halting as soon as they stood before the large calico. "We're ready!" she informed him, her tail twitching back and forth, showing her impatience to start this new and interesting adventure.

"Good," Bear meowed. "Scar and I will lead you to the end of the upwalker nests. Once we get to the forest it will be up to you two to find the Clan cats."

Both siblings nodded in understanding.

Shell followed her father and Scar as they led her and Patch out of the alleyway. Once on the other side of the fence Shell began to explain to Patch the details Bear had told her earlier.

Shell wandered cautiously into the forest, Patch just behind her. Bear and Scar had just left them. They had both said their good-byes and Bear had also added that him and Scar would try to meet the two here in exactly a moon. Bear had said that they should let them have time to settle in, but after that they would most likely meet more often.

The two siblings were covered in dirt and their pelts were sticking out in a few places. They had to look like they had been traveling for many days, or that's what their father had told them. As Shell and Patch continued on they were both keeping alert for any forest cats.

They had traveled some way when the ground began to get more bare and rocky. A large boulder sat nearby and Shell quickly bounded over to it, springing up and landing on it gracefully. She opened her mouth and breathed in the scents around her.

"There's definitely a strong scent of cat here," she informed her brother, who was slowly making his way over to the boulder where his sister stood. But before Shell could say anything more a loud yowl pierced the air. Shell whipped around to see four cats streaking towards her and Patch, all of them muscular and ferocious looking. Soon enough they were surrounded. A black she-cat with white paws and a young dark gray tom were circling Patch, their fur bristling and their lips curled up into snarls. Patch's tail lashed back and forth and his eyes narrowed, but that was all.

A large, long-haired ginger tom and a young dark brown tabby had leapt up on the boulder and were standing in front of Shell. They both gazed at her accusingly but only the brown tabby's claws were unsheathed. Shell's fur bristled with fear but her eyes did not betray her. They remained wary and narrowed, gazing back and forth between the brown tabby and the ginger tom.

"What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?" the brown tabby spat, his lips curled up into a snarl.

"I-I-I'm sorry….we just…" Shell stuttered, seeming lost for words all of a sudden.

The large ginger tom rested his tail on the tabby's shoulders. "Calm down, Pinepaw. She's scared and she looks starved."

"But Lionclaw! She's an intruder in our territory! We should chase her out!" He turned on Shell with narrowed eyes.

Lionclaw seemed to ignore the younger cat and he turned his amber eyes back on Shell. "Come," he said, his voice firm but there was also a slight gentleness in it. He leapt off the boulder and Shell could do nothing but follow. As she crouched down to get back on the ground she felt a rough nudge in her side. She turned to see Pinepaw next to her, his claws still unsheathed. She glared at him for a moment before scrambling down off the boulder. Pinepaw landed next to her and herded her into the small circle that Patch stood in, the other two cats still circling him.

Lionclaw had seated himself in front of Shell and Patch and with a flick of his tail the other three cats sat down around the two young intruders. Patch remained standing but Shell sat down, her legs trembling slightly.

"So strangers, where exactly are you from?" Lionclaw asked calmly, his voice only filled with curiosity.

"They smell like Twolegplace," Pinepaw spat, his fur still bristling.

Lionclaw gave the tabby a hard stare then looked back at Shell and Patch.

Shell hesitated, waiting to see if Patch would speak. Her brother remained silent, so seeing that it was up to her to explain, she began. "Well, my brother and I were separated from our parents about a moon ago. I don't know of this Twolegplace you speak of, but we've been traveling among the upwalker nests since then. Food, water and shelter are hard to find there. Only a few days ago did we hear a group of cats say something about wild cats who live in Clans here in the forest. We thought…well, we thought that we could find these Clan cats and maybe…maybe join them. We believe we might have a better life if we do," she mewed, repeating the story Bear had told her to say.

Lionclaw looked at the siblings thoughtfully. A few moments passed before he actually spoke. "You two are young and could make promising warriors. However, there is a lot about the Clans you do not know. I don't have the authority to say if you can join the Clan or not. I don't even know if we could trust you." He paused. "Although, since you are young and you both seem exhausted, I will take you back to our camp and you may speak with our leader."

The ginger tom looked over to the black she-cat with white paws and the dark gray tom. "Whitefoot, Shadepaw. Go ahead and inform Thornstar that we have visitors." The black she-cat nodded and bounded back the way they had come, the dark gray tom following close behind her.

Turning back to the siblings Lionclaw mewed, "I'm sorry but we haven't formally introduced ourselves. I am Lionclaw, deputy of ThunderClan." His tail flicked towards the brown tabby. "That's Pinepaw, my apprentice." Pinepaw only scowled at the two, his eyes still narrowed. "The black she-cat was Whitefoot, a ThunderClan warrior, and that dark gray tom was her apprentice, Shadepaw." Lionclaw continued, simply ignoring his apprentice's rude behavior.

Shell smiled at Lionclaw, glad that at least one of the Clan cats they had run into was so friendly. She didn't really have much of a clue what he had told her, about deputies, warriors, and apprentices, but she figured she would probably find out soon. "I'm Shell and this is my brother, Patch." Patch nodded curtly but said nothing. "We appreciate you taking us with you to your camp." She dipped her head slightly in a respectful way.

Lionclaw nodded then turned and began trotting in the direction the other two cats had gone. Shell rose to her paws and started to follow. She could hear Patch behind her and Pinepaw bringing up the rear.

The fur along Shell's spine stood on end as they made their way through the forest. They were headed into a…camp? Was that what Lionclaw had called it? Anyways, they were heading into this camp where Shell supposed the rest of the Clan lived. She didn't think waltzing into a place full of wild forest cats was a very good idea, but if it somehow got them into the Clan it was worth it.


	7. Welcome to ThunderClan

**A/N: **Thank you, Twitchtail13 & ZantSpellcaster (aka: Rino! *hugs* She's a good friend of mine) for the reviews! They are much appreciated. I'm glad to hear you both like it and I shall definitely continue!

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**Chapter 6**

Welcome to ThunderClan

"We're here."

Shell's tail twitched restlessly as Lionclaw suddenly spoke. The group of four cats had stopped at the top of a small ravine. As the tortoiseshell looked down she couldn't see any sort of opening. Was the camp really here?

Shell was usually outgoing and full of energy, but at the moment panic had engulfed her. What would happen if the leader refused to let them join? Would they kill her and Patch there and then? The fur along her back slowly stood up. What would happen if they died? Would Bear and the others investigate if they didn't meet him and Scar in a moon? Or would they just forget about them and move on? All these thoughts seemed to buzz around in the young she-cats mind as she tried to figure out what would happen when they went into the camp.

She then turned her head to look at Patch. He was standing very still, his gaze settled on the bottom of the ravine. He didn't look scared at all, but then again he never showed much emotion. Could thoughts similar to her own also be swimming around in her brothers head?

"Come on."

Shell turned to see Lionclaw making his way to the bottom of the ravine. She scrambled down after him with Patch and Pinepaw close behind. When everyone reached the bottom Lionclaw quickly disappeared into a thick patch of gorse. Shell hesitated for a moment but then pushed her way through. The prickly gorse snagged at her pelt as she trudged through, causing her to keep her head down. She noticed that the grass underneath her was flattened as if many cats went through this particular space, so she suspected that this was the entrance.

When she was finally all the way through, Shell lifted her head to see where they were. A clearing spread out in front of them, edged with thick grass, a few treestumps and a fallen tree. The camp was shielded by thick ferns and gorse. Her green eyes widened when she noticed that the clearing was filled with cats. Most of them were minding their own business, eating, resting, or grooming eachother, but some of them had lifted there heads to see who had come through the entrance. The few that paid attention to them nodded respectfully to Lionclaw. When their eyes scanned over Shell and Patch they were filled with suspicion, but also a bit of curiosity.

At the head of the clearing was a large boulder. Seated underneath it were three cats. Two Shell recognized as Whitefoot and Shadepaw. The other was a sleek black she-cat with piercing golden eyes. Could that be the leader? She seemed so petite compared to Lionclaw. But as Shell looked closer she did notice hard muscles under the she-cats black pelt. She also happened to notice quite a few scars.

Lionclaw made his way over to the group, Shell and the others following. He dipped his head in respect to the black she-cat then sat down. The three younger cats mimicked him. The black she-cat nodded in response to Lionclaw then her gaze settled on Shell and Patch.

"These must be the visitors that Whitefoot and Shadepaw spoke of," she meowed, her voice firm as she looked at Lionclaw. "Am I correct?"

"Yes, Thornstar," Lionclaw replied. "Our patrol found them over by Snakerocks. They say they come from Twolegplace and are all alone. They wish to join ThunderClan."

Thornstar's gaze settled back on the two siblings. "Is this true?"

Shell, seeing that Patch, once again, wasn't going to speak up, nodded. The young tortoiseshell then retold the story she had just told Lionclaw, though it seemed like days ago to her, when it had really only been minutes. As she explained she watched Thornstar's expression, trying to tell what she was thinking. But the leader remained rather emotionless, or at least she didn't give away what she thought, but nodded occasionally instead.

When Shell finished, Thornstar turned to Lionclaw. "What do you think?" she questioned the deputy.

"They are young and could make promising warriors," Lionclaw stated, repeating what he had told the siblings earlier. "But, they need to know the full extent of Clan life before they can really be a part of the Clan."

Thornstar nodded. "You are right, Lionclaw." She slowly turned back to face Shell and Patch. "I will allow you to stay with our Clan for ten days, to give you time to learn our ways of living. If you feel you still want to be a part of my Clan when your time is up, and if you both have proved yourselves worthy, you may join ThunderClan."

Shell had to stop herself from leaping about in joy. Although her main goal was to join the Clan in order to help her father, she couldn't help but be excited about learning all about the Clans. "Thank you," she mewed politely, dipping her head towards Thornstar. She saw Patch copy her movement but he still remained silent, as usual.

"Pinepaw," Thornstar suddenly said, turning to the brown tabby tom. "You will be in charge of showing Shell and Patch around camp. Once you have done that give them something from the fresh-kill pile. Do you understand?"

Pinepaw's green eyes narrowed but he nodded. "Yes, Thornstar," he mumbled.

"Alright then, get to it." The black she-cat stood then turned around and disappeared behind the large boulder, Lionclaw following after her.


	8. The Camp

**Chapter 7**

The Camp

"Come on, I don't have all day," Pinepaw huffed, his tail twitching with annoyance. This tom was really getting on Patch's nerves, but of course he didn't show it. He has never been one to show what he was feeling. Letting everyone know your emotions can be such a nuisance. That is why he has perfected the art of hiding his own.

Before Pinepaw could start showing Patch and Shell around, a young pale ginger she-cat came trotting over to the small group, her amber eyes friendly with curiosity. As she came closer Patch's heart began to beat slightly faster and he felt his cheeks getting warm. What was wrong with him? Was he getting a fever or something? No, it was because of this she-cat. She seemed to be just another cat coming to greet them, why did he care? But somewhere in the back of Patch's head he didn't think she was 'just another cat'. She was probably the most beautiful cat he had ever seen. He shook his head slightly, collecting himself as the she-cat stopped in front of him and his sister.

"Hello there," she purred, dipping her head in greeting to Shell and Patch. "I'm Amberpaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan just like Pinepaw here." She flicked her tail towards the dark brown tabby, who just rolled his eyes at her.

"Hi! I'm Shell and this is my brother, Patch," Shell stated, also dipping her head in greeting. Patch only nodded because though he wanted to say something to the pretty she-cat he was lost for words.

"How long do we plan on standing here? Thornstar wants me to show them around camp and I can't do that if you keep on chatting to them!" Pinepaw snapped at Amberpaw.

"Oh really?! I'll do it if you'd like. Since you apparently have so many _important_ things to do," Amberpaw replied, not seeming to pay any attention to Pinepaw's aggressive tone.

"Be my guest." With that the dark brown tabby turned and vanished back out through the camp entrance.

Amberpaw turned back to the two siblings. "Don't mind him, he's always like that. He thinks he's the best out of all of the apprentices, which isn't really that many. You get used to it after a while," she said with a quick roll of her eyes. "Okay, first things first," she nodded toward the large, smooth rock they were all standing near, "that's the Highrock. It's where Thornstar addresses the Clan from. Her den is right down there." With her tail she pointed to a hollow in the side of the Highrock where lichen draped over the entrance. "It's said that it was carved out by an ancient stream many moons ago," she added.

Amberpaw then trotted over to a large bush that sat only a few paces away from the Highrock, Shell and Patch at her heels. "This is where the warriors sleep. The senior warriors sleep in the center because it's the warmest." She nodded over to a clump of nettles. "That's where they usually share fresh-kill. The younger warriors eat nearby and are sometimes invited to eat with the senior warriors, which is a true honor," she explained.

"If queens aren't expecting or nursing kits they sleep in the warriors den and carry out warrior duties," Amberpaw said as she trotted across the clearing. She pointed with her tail to a small fern tunnel. "Go through there and it leads to the medicine cat's den." Right when she finished her sentence, a light gray tom padded out of the tunnel, a small bundle of moss in his mouth.

"That's your medicine cat?" Patch questioned, ignoring Shell's slightly shocked look. He knew she was probably surprised that he actually spoke. The tom looked a bit young to Patch, but then again he didn't know if medicine cats were supposed to be young or not.

Amberpaw let out a small purr of amusement. "No, that's Moonpaw, the medicine cat apprentice. Our medicine cat is Rowantail, Moonpaw's mentor." With a small flick of her tail Amberpaw beckoned the gray tom over. He saw her signal and padded up to the three cats.

"Hey Moonpaw! This is Shell and Patch. They're going to be staying with as for awhile, and might even be joining the Clan," the ginger she-cat explained.

Moonpaw set the bundle of moss down, though his nose was wrinkled as if he smelled something bad. "Hello," he murmured quietly in a soft voice.

"Whatcha got there?" Shell asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

Patch bent down and sniffed at the moss, though his head snapped back up the moment he did so. "Whatever it is it smells awful…" he muttered, now knowing why Moonpaw had his nose wrinkled.

"It's mousebile," Moonpaw mumbled in the same soft voice. "It helps to remove ticks," he added quietly.

"Neat," Shell said, seeming to be truly fascinated. Patch had no doubt she was. His sister seemed to be curious about everything.

"Well, I have to go take this to the elders," the gray tom murmured, picking the mousebile soaked moss up. He nodded a quick good-bye then walked off in the direction of a fallen tree that sheltered a patch of lush grass.

As Patch watched the tom leave he noticed three long scars that ran down Moonpaw's back. He was about to ask about it but his sister beat him to it.

"What happened to his back?" she asked Amberpaw, her eyes still filled with curiosity and a hint of concern.

For a moment Amberpaw looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, we don't usually talk about it but if you guys end of becoming a part of the Clan, I suppose you have a right to know. You see, it happened when Moonpaw was just a young kit, Moonkit back then. If you didn't notice, he's very quiet and shy. He didn't always used to be that way; he used to be happy and carefree. But one day he had wandered out of camp, as sometimes adventurous kits do, and he stumbled upon a rogue, which is a, usually hostile, cat who doesn't belong to a Clan. And so the rogue attacked Moonpaw. Luckily a group of our warriors were out patrolling nearby and found the two before anymore damage could be done," she finished, her eyes filled with sadness at the memory.

"Wow, I'm sorry…" Shell mumbled sympathetically. Patch nodded his head, showing that he was as well.

"But, it turned out better for him in the end I suppose," Amber continued. "Since he stayed with Rowantail for so long, because of his injuries, he learned tons of stuff about being a medicine cat and decided that's what he wanted to be instead of a warrior. He takes it so seriously I just know he's going to make a great medicine cat when he's fully trained," she said, a deep purr escaping her throat.

"Anyways," the she-cat went on, "the elder's den is where Moonpaw just disappeared to and over here is the apprentices den." Amberpaw padded over to a large, thick bush of ferns that was behind a mossy tree stump. "This is where the apprentices sleep and we usually eat at the tree stump," she explained. "I'm not sure if you two are going to sleep in here or somewhere else so you should probably ask Thornstar about it later," the pale ginger she-cat suggested.

Patch nodded in acknowledgement. He had actually been rather uncertain about how this whole thing with the Clan would turn out, but so far everything seemed to be going smoothly. As long as things continued to go as smooth then his father's plan would be a success.


	9. Surprise, Surprise

**Chapter 8**

Surprise, Surprise

Only moments after Amberpaw finished speaking, Thornstar appeared before the group. She seemed to notice that Amberpaw was there instead of Pinepaw because Shell saw her golden eyes narrow. "I see Pinepaw cannot do what he is told, since I specifically told him he was to show you both around the camp," the leader huffed. "Thank you for doing so instead, Amberpaw."

"You're welcome, Thornstar," the apprentice said, dipping her head in respect to the petite black she-cat.

Shell noticed that Amberpaw's eyes happened to flicker towards the camp entrance. She glanced over as well to see Pinepaw entering the camp with two mice clamped in his jaws. Her green eyes followed the tabby tom as he dropped the dead prey onto the fresh-kill pile. He then looked up and his eyes grazed over the group. Once he saw that Thornstar was there he quickly turned around and headed back toward the entrance.

At first Shell didn't think Thornstar had noticed the return of the apprentice but suddenly her sharp voice rang out. "Pinepaw!"

The dark brown tabby stopped in his tracks, his ears flattening against his head. Shell inwardly smiled as he slunk over with his tail drooping.

"I told you to show Patch and Shell the camp, did I not?" Thornstar said, the authority strong in her voice.

Pinepaw nodded gloomily. "Yes, Thornstar."

"Well then, why did I see Amberpaw with them and not you?"

"She offered to show them around so I let her. She was just so excited about it and I didn't want to reject her."

Out of the corner of her eye Shell noticed Amberpaw's eyes roll skyward.

Thornstar let out a small sigh, then turned her attention to Shell. "At the moment most of our warriors happen to be busy so showing you around ThunderClan territory will have to wait until later or possibly tomorrow. For now you and your brother can start hunting. You do know how to hunt don't you?" she questioned.

Shell and Patch nodded.

"Good. Then Amberpaw, you and Patch will go over and see what you can find around the Owl Tree. Pinepaw, you will take Shell and hunt near Tallpines. If I find out you left her for even a moment don't think you won't be punished. Once you come back make sure the elders have been fed then all of you may eat." With that Thornstar turned around and vanished back into her den.

Shell desperately wanted to protest but she didn't think whining would get her on the leader's good side, plus Thornstar had already left them. But would any sane cat possibly want to be stuck with Pinepaw? Although she had only known the tabby for less than an hour or so he wasn't exactly on the top of her favorites list.

"I guess we're off then," Amberpaw said, smiling at Patch then turning towards the camp entrance, Patch right behind her. Before they left Shell noticed Amberpaw give her a sympathetic look when Pinepaw wasn't paying attention. Then the two disappeared out into the forest.

"Well don't just stand there like some dumb struck mouse, come on. I don't feel like wasting more time than I have to hunting with the likes of you," Pinepaw growled as he started towards the entrance. Shell's eyes narrowed as she followed the tabby out of camp with a sigh.

Once out in the forest Shell's eyes couldn't stop staring from one place to the next. On her way here with Lionclaw and the others she had been too nervous to actually take in her surroundings. Now she could look all she wanted. Pinepaw had lead her up the ravine and it seemed they were heading in the direction of the upwalker nests, or Twolegplace as the Clan cats seemed to call it.

"So, where exactly is this Tallpines place?" Shell questioned, her curiosity getting the better of her for she had been trying not to talk to the stubborn tom.

"You'll see when we get there," was all Pinepaw said, not even glancing in her direction.

_Well that was a waste of breath…_ Shell thought as she continued to follow him.

It wasn't long until Shell began noticing that the trees around them were starting to become pine instead of the leafy ones that had been back deeper in the forest. She was so occupied with looking around that she practically ran right into Pinepaw, who had stopped in front of her.

"You should warn someone before stopping!" Shell snapped at him.

Pinepaw's head whipped around to face her. "If you had been paying attention then I wouldn't have needed to warn you!" he hissed. "Now pipe down or you'll scare away all the prey, though I bet you already have…" he grumbled.

Shell looked taken aback but remained quiet all the same.

"I'll go over there…" Pinepaw whispered, nodding in the direction to their right. "You can go see what you can find over there," he added, nodding in the opposite direction. "Just remember to be quiet," he mumbled before slinking off into the undergrowth.

Shell was glad that they split up, even though Thornstar told Pinepaw not to leave her side. Who would want to hunt with a grumpy, ignorant cat like Pinepaw anyways? But she wouldn't let him ruin her first hunt in the forest.

She took a few steps forward and breathed in the fresh air. Right away she scented mouse. She couldn't help licking her lips before she got down into a crouching position. Since it was a mouse she was hunting she kept light on her feet so that the prey couldn't hear her coming. Just as she was about to creep forward a loud screech sounded behind her, soon followed by yowling and hissing.

Shell, totally forgetting about the mouse, turned around to see two furry shapes tangled together rolling around in the dirt. After only a moment one of them pinned down the other. Pinepaw was standing over a young brown tom with his claws unsheathed and digging into the stranger's chest. The one pinned down was struggling but seemed too weak to get Pinepaw off of him. As Shell looked closer she saw that the strange tom had a long, unmistakable scar over his chest. Her eyes widened as she recognized her other brother.

"Scar?!"

* * *

Patch's nose twitched and his claws instantly unsheathed. His tail swayed back and forth as he crouched behind a large bush, his blue eyes glued to a rabbit that was munching on some weeds only a few tail lengths away. He had already caught two mice and Amberpaw, who was still hunting nearby, had caught a vole and a squirrel. Hunting around the Owl Tree was pretty good, for the tree dropped seeds that prey depended on for food.

Patch was just about to lunge towards the creature when his tail accidently brushed against the bush, causing the rabbit to look up and spot him. The small white creature immediately began to run and Patch darted after it. The black and white tom ran on and on, his paws pounding harder against the ground as his speed increased. He couldn't quite tell how far he had run, though he thought it was a pretty good distance from where he had started, but all of a sudden a foul stench filled his nostrils and he halted before a Thunderpath. This Thunderpath seemed different from the ones back near the upwalker nests. They were smaller and didn't stink as much. This one was much larger and he was having trouble breathing because of the awful smell. But just because it was here didn't mean he wouldn't cross it. He had crossed the other ones all the time so what was this one to him? Besides, the rabbit had already run across and he was determined to catch it.

Patch slowly crept up to the edge of the Thunderpath and made sure no monsters were coming. Not seeing anything, the young tom quickly ran across.

"Patch! What are you doing?!" a voice suddenly rang out behind him. He turned around to see Amberpaw sitting a few tail lengths away from the edge of the Thunderpath.

"Getting the rabbit I chased all the way over here of course," he said like it was rather obvious. What had her all worked up? "I'll only be a moment…" he added, then turned back around and headed towards the scent of the rabbit.

Only moments after Amberpaw appeared at his side. "I said I'd only be a moment," he repeated, seeing the worried expression on her face.

"This is ShadowClan territory, one of our rival Clans. We aren't supposed to be here, we're trespassing," she explained.

Patch suddenly remembered that ThunderClan was not the only Clan of cats out here. He had forgotten about the other three. "Well, I think they can spare one rabbit…I'm sure they won't mind," he said, still determined.

"Actually, they would mind. They would mind very much. We really need to leave before someone spots us, otherwise we could get in to big trouble." Amberpaw nudged Patch back toward the Thunderpath.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to get the rabbit after all, Patch let her begin to lead him back. But before they could even take a few steps a bush rustled behind them. Both of the young cats turned around to see three cats slinking out of the brush, their ears flattened and teeth bared.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review! xD


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